Laproscopic surgery has become a popular technique among many surgeons. Laparoscopy allows a surgeon to limit the intrusiveness of conventional operating techniques and thus reduce the amount of scar tissue and decrease the amount of healing time associated with surgery.
Laparoscopy is the visual examination of the interior of the abdomen of a patient by the use of a laparoscope, a long slender instrument. Through appropriate optical techniques, the surgeon is able to view the interior of the patient's abdomen.
The procedure is started by the insertion of several trocars. A trocar is a device that is used to puncture the abdomen wall and is inserted through a hollow sleeve, called a cannula which is then positioned in the opening created by the trocar. In this surgical procedure, the laparoscope is inserted into one of the cannulas and other cannulas are used to pass surgical instruments into the abdomen which instruments are utilized to carry out surgical procedures on the internal organs of the patient.
Once an abnormality is found, the surgeon may remove the abnormality by either electrosurgery or by laser techniques. The determination of which technique to use depends on the personal preference of the surgeon. Obviously, there are a significant number of tools involved in laproscopic surgery. The time and effort involved in switching tools to change from electrosurgery to laser surgery can be considerable. By switching tools in the middle of an operation, there is an increased chance that the abdomen may deflate and thus cause damage to the patient and further delay. There have been many attempts to create multi-purpose tools that reduce the risk to the patient while also increasing the utility of the device to the surgeon.
Several U.S. patents disclose devices that are designed to attempt to increase the effectiveness of electrosurgical probes while providing for the safety of the patient. U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,948 (Sole) discloses an electrosurgical probe that has a wire loop which is used to cauterize a section of the patient's body. This probe has a substantial portion of the electrosurgical tip exposed to the patient. This exposure of the tip may cause unintentional arcing from the tip to surrounding tissue and organs. This arcing will cause damage to surrounding tissue/organ and thus increase the recovery time and potentially damage the tissue/organ.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,691 (Lindstrom et al.) discloses interchangeable electrosurgical probes and a power supply unit. Each probe disclosed has a tip region with a substantial portion thereof exposed to surrounding tissue. This presents the potential for accidental arcing which may cause damage to surrounding tissue.
Other examples of electrosurgical probes that do not provide insulation over a substantial portion of the operating tip include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,290 (Rexroth et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,105 (Prass); and U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,404 (Weisman et al.). Generally, existing instruments, shaped as spoons, spatulas, hooks, and hockey sticks, have insulated shafts with non-insulated ends of approximately 5 mm to 20 mm. This non-insulated area increases the potential for arching.
Several U.S. patents disclose the use of hollow insertion devices to place a fiber-optic cable that may be used in either laser surgery or as a laparoscope. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,815,461 and 4,944,738, both by Rodriguez, disclose a tube having a head section that is adjustable. This adjustable head section allows for a back stop during laser surgery. U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,524 (Boebel et al.) discloses a device for guiding a fiber-optic cable for viewing the interior of a patient. None of the above cited references provide a multi-purpose probe that allows electrosurgery to occur from a substantially insulated tip and also allow a fiber-optic cable to be inserted into a patient for allowing laser surgery or for viewing the interior of the patient.
Although all of the above-discussed devices relate to electrosurgical probes, they have the various disadvantages mentioned above.